Job title: Head of Certification Operations

Salary and grade: Band 3

Reporting into: Director of Growth & Product

Team: Growth and Product Team

Direct reports: Certification Manager and Recertification Lead

Contract type: Permanent, Full time (would consider flexible working arrangement)

Location: Whitechapel, London with hybrid working (1 - 2 days per week in office)

B Lab believes an equitable and inclusive work environment and a diverse, empowered team are key to achieving our mission. We’re not looking for candidates who are 'culture fits'; we’re looking for candidates who can expand our culture and challenge business as usual. We strive to foster an environment where all colleagues can bring themselves to work by their own definition, and we strive to provide all candidates with an equitable and accessible recruitment process.

Purpose of the role:

This role will be critical in leading the process of certifying companies applying to become B Corp, working with their team to deliver an exceptional experience. This role will also be responsible for stewarding the process to transition the organisation to a new set of certification requirements from 2026. The postholder will be crucial to ensuring that we successfully transform our processes and ways of working to realise the huge opportunity created by this upcoming change to our Standards. 

Responsibilities will include:

Leading and Developing the Team

The Certification Team is motivated, high-performing and able to deliver a seamless service against clear strategic objectives.

This work typically involves:

• Line managing team members, ensuring strong performance, psychological safety and the autonomy to deliver against strategic objectives

• Creating clear structure and accountabilities within the team to ensure roles and responsibilities are understood and can be delivered against

• Identifying learning needs that enable the team to be their best at work

• Providing direction, unblocking work and acting as both a champion and escalation route for the team

• Contributing to the leadership of the wider B Lab UK team, partnering with Heads and the Senior Leadership Team on routine planning and performance reporting

Certification Performance 

Companies are supported to meet their certification requirements in a smooth and timely manner, with processes delivered consistently and reliably with the Standards expertise they need.

This work typically involves:

• Supporting the Director of Growth & Product on the implementation of the strategy and vision for an exceptional journey to B Corp certification

• Taking accountability for the performance of the Certification function, guiding your team to design clear processes that deliver an exceptional customer journey and overseeing the journey for high-risk, complex B Corps

• Creating the structures to adopt global changes to products/processes into existing ways of working with consistency

• Identifying and mitigating risks across the certification pipeline, engaging the wider organisation where needed

Customer Journey and Experience

B Corps experience a cohesive, well-supported journey across certification, recertification, and community, with problems resolved before they impact the experience.

This work typically involves:

• Identifying needs and delivering continuous improvements to the end-to-end certification and recertification journey

• Act as a point of escalation for companies facing significant challenges through certification

• Work with the Community and Growth Teams to join up relevant touch points into a cohesive experience for B Corps

• Partner with the Finance and Operations Team to improve processes and troubleshoot issues

Pipeline monitoring and capacity

The certification pipeline is well-understood and well-resourced with relevant B Lab teams in receipt of the forecasting needs and capacity is matched to demand without compromising service quality.

This work typically involves:

• Monitoring the certification and recertification pipeline, proactively sharing data insights, trends, and forecasts with B Lab to inform planning and resourcing

• Negotiating annual capacity forecasts and managing the key performance metrics agreed with B Lab, spotting issues early enough to reforecast

• Planning and allocating resources to meet demand across the certification lifecycle whilst maintaining high service and evaluation quality

Person specification

What you’ll bring 

• Ability to successfully lead, motivate and develop a team.

• Ability to lead through change and uncertainty

• Ability to strengthen and implement strategies and clear processes for more effective work.

• Strong data analysis and reporting skills.

• Proven track record of successful project management, with ability to coordinate plans spanning multiple functions.

• Exceptional organisational skills, with the ability to prioritise effectively and delegate when appropriate.

• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.

• Strong presenter of complex concepts, ability to communicate effectively internally and externally.

• Problem-solving, risk management, and ability to drive process improvements.

• Ability to support and implement organisational change/transformation.

• Strategic mindset with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.

Desirable skills (not essential and can be developed in the role)

• Ability to deliver transformation programmes

• Understanding of regulatory environment or accreditation processes

• Salesforce or similar CRMs

• Ability to manage teams in a customer service environment

Who you are:

• Someone who takes a research-informed and principles-led approach to supporting our colleagues in realising and maximising their potential

• An optimist who understands the role business can play in creating the future that benefits all people and the planet.

• An advocate for growth mindset and continuous improvement.

• A keen collaborator who values the ability to go further together with their colleagues and stakeholders.

• You thrive in a small team within a fast-paced, growing organisation.

Job Descriptions are an outline of a role, and are not an exhaustive list of duties. This job description should be seen as enabling rather than restrictive and will be subject to regular review.

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Candidates must be able to demonstrate their eligibility to work in the UK (we are not able to provide visa sponsorship).

Visit our career site to learn about the application journey you can expect and for full guidance and support on making your application. You can also read about the great colleague benefits available if you join our team.

It is important to us that we have a recruitment process whereby everyone is able to be their best. If you have a disability/long-term health condition, and require a reasonable adjustment that would enable you to fully participate in any stage of the recruitment process, please let us know. You will be asked during your application, but you can also reach out to us at hiring@bcorporation.uk if you require support in making your application.